Sicily and Southern Italy in the archaic and classical periods

321 Pages·2017·48.27 MB·English

Artemis cult in Sicily and Southern Italy in the archaic and classical periods
Nicola Carole Bannister
PhD by Research
University ofEdinburgh
2009
Declaration ofAuthorship
I declare that;
• The thesis has been composed by me
• The work is my own
• The workhas notbeen submitted forany other degree orprofessional qualification
Preface
I first studied Theology at school and despite deciding against reading it as an undergraduate,
soon navigated my way back by selecting both Greek religion honours options in Ancient
History for my MA. I was particularly drawn to the cult of Artemis and focused upon
cataloguing the evidence for this goddess' mainland cult in my MSc. I soon became frustrated
by the dominance of Brauron in discussions of the goddess. The focus of this thesis was
therefore always intended to be non-Attic, but I struggled in the early years to find the specific
chronology and geography for my research. Pindar introduced me to the goddess' cult in
Syracuse and the Sicilian and Southern Italian angle soon became clear. From that point until
now it has been a race against the clock to catalogue and research every reference, site,
representation and coin relevant to this study. In this preface I would like to make a few points
on format and style and then acknowledge the many colleagues, friends and family who have
supported myjourney and without whom this would never have been written.
I have tried to transliterate directly from the Greek where a firmly established Latinisation does
not already exist. It is extremely difficult to be consistent in this matter and there will
undoubtedly be inconsistencies within the text. All dates should be understood as B.C. unless I
have stated otherwise. All abbreviations follow the Oxford Classical Dictionary (3rd. ed.) or, for
journals, the standard format detailed in either the AJA or L'annee philologique lists of
abbreviations.
Turning now to those who have supported me with this thesis, I must first acknowledge the
financial assistance I received from the University of Edinburgh: a Faculty ofArts studentship
has funded my research and a Baldwin-Brown award made travel through Greece possible.
Secondly, working for Lloyds Banking Group over the last eight years has effectively funded the
rest of this study and my travel in Southern Italy. During this period the support and
understanding ofLaura Anderson, Alasdair Smith, Jim Ewing, Chris Schofield and, in particular,
Jim McConville have made the completion ofthis project possible.
There are many people who have supported me over the last eight years while I have balanced
the writing ofthis thesis against the realities ofliving and working in Edinburgh. However, even
before I came to Edinburgh there are two teachers who deserve a special mention for introducing
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me first to Latin and then to Classical Studies: Mr Martin Smith and MrJed Donovan. Whilst an
undergraduate at Edinburgh I had the great fortune to be taught by Dr Karen Stears, who
nurtured my interest in Greek religion and subsequently supervised my MSc and the early part of
this thesis. After Karen left Edinburgh, Professor Douglas Cairns kindly agreed to supervise my
studies and has generously guided me and demonstrated much patience with the pace of my
research. Professor Keith Rutter welcomed me to Edinburgh as an undergraduate fourteen years
ago and has acted as second supervisor for both of my post-graduate research degrees; his
support and enthusiasm have been unfailing throughout.
I am not sure I would have made it to the finish-line without the humour and eainaiaderie ofmy
close friends and fellow postgraduates (past and present). Those particularly responsible for
keeping me sane are Dr Sandra Bingham, Louise Clark, Kate Collingridge, Dr Maria Elpiniki-
Oikonomou, Dr Alasdair Gibson, Dr Karen Hartnup, Dr Maggie King, Dr Deborah Natansen, Dr
Marina Thomatos, Elaine Veitch and Dr Nicki Waugh. In particular, over the last year, I have
been extremely grateful for the support ofKatherine Liong and Nicolette Pavlidcs. As expected,
the last months have been the hardest and I am forever indebted to my partner Jim who arrived
just in time to ensure I did not fall at the final hurdle.
My most important acknowledgements go to my family for their wholehearted support and
unfailing belief in me. Sadly, my grandmother passed away before I could finish; my joy in
submitting is diminished as I cannot celebrate with Nan. To Auntie Doreen and Uncle Peter,
godparents par excellence, I thank you for always encouraging me to follow my dreams and
willing me to succeed.
Finally, let me express that none ofthis would have been possible without the love and support
ofmy parents (and two wonderful cocker spaniels: Spei and Chelsea). It is quite impossible to
put into words the debt I owe them. Mum and Dad have constantly strived to ensure that I have
enjoyed every opportunity available to me and I have been thankful for this support each and
every day of my life. Consequently this thesis is as much theirs as it is mine. It is therefore
dedicated, with all my love, to them.
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Abstract
This thesis is an inter-disciplinary study ofthe evidence for the Greek goddess Artemis in the
Southern Italian and Sicilian colonies during the archaic and classical periods. The evidence is
reviewed by type and with specific reference to its chronological and geographical context.
First, I deal with the myths which feature Artemis in the works ofPindar and Bacchylides. This
is followed by a catalogue of sites and epithets which informs a discussion of her worship.
Thirdly, a wide range of representations of Artemis is considered; they constitute the largest
category ofevidence in this thesis. The goddess appears on Attic vases exported to the west as
well as vases manufactured in Apulia and Lucania. Terracotta figurines and architectural
sculpture are also catalogued and discussed. The final corpus of evidence reviewed is the
depiction ofthe goddess on coins minted in Southern Italy and Sicily. Finally, the key themes to
emerge from this inter-disciplinary study are contextualised within the historical realities ofthe
western Greek colonies and compared with the conventional view of the goddess in modem
scholarship.
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Contents
Declaration ofauthorship i
Preface ii
Abstract iv
Introduction 1
Chapter 1 Artemis myth in victory odes 7
Chapter2 The archaeology ofArtemis cult 27
Chapter 3 The iconographical evidence and images ofArtemis 60
Chapter4 Images ofArtemis with Apollo and Artemis' mythology 106
Chapter 5 Artemis on coins 141
Chapter 6 Artemis cult in Sicily and Southern Italy 158
Bibliography 168
Appendix 1 Archaeology catalogue 192
Appendix 2 Vase-painting catalogue 199
Appendix 3 Sculpturecatalogue 216
Appendix 4 Coin catalogue 225
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Introduction
"Deities are shaped by the societies that constitute the worshipping
group and develop with them" Sourvinou-Inwood (1991, 147)
The aim ofthis dissertation is to consolidate and analyse the archaic and classical evidence
for Artemis cult in Southern Italy and Sicily. The opening quotation from Christiane
Sourvinou-Inwood has inspired this research.1 Authors from Farnell (1896) and Hoenn
(1946) through to Kahil (1984) have published wide-reaching surveys ofthe goddess without
a particular focus on her specific role in a certain region. Regional studies do exist: see, for
example, Brulotte (2002), but too many focus on Artemis' Attic cults: see, for example,
Kahil (1977, 1981) and Hollinshead (1985). There is a relative dearth ofscholarship on the
character ofArtemis' cult in the Greek west. However, the diversity ofthe Greek colonies in
the west, from French Massalia to African Cyrene, led me to focus on one specific
geographical area: Southern Italy and Sicily.2
In this introduction to the main body of the argument I shall provide an outline and
explanation for my structure. I shall then discuss the definitions and rationale for the
chronological and geographical remit ofthe thesis. The move ofthe Greeks to settlements
on new shores is generally described as colonisation. This term is fraught with modern
connotations following the imperialistic and ideologically justified colonisation ofthe New
World and Africa by the Europeans. It is, however, a term I shall use regularly throughout
this thesis. I shall therefore confirm the definition we should apply in this study and review
the recent scholarship on this phenomenon. Finally I shall consider the theological issues
inherent in this thesis, which brings us back to my opening quotation. Artemis wasjust one
deity of the panhellenic and local pantheons; the construction and development of this
goddess in Southern Italy and Sicily did not occur in isolation. It would therefore be amiss
' Although Sourvinou-Inwood's work builds on previous sociological studies: see, for example,
Durkheim (1911) and Weber(1963), it is particularly relevant here as Sourvinou-Inwood uses the cult
ofPersephone and Aphrodite at the Southern Italian site ofLokroi to create a model for the study of
divinepersonalities in Greekreligion.
2 For other regional studies ofArtemis see, for example: Chirassi (1964) (Peloponnese); Sourvinou-
Inwood (1988) (Attica); Gentili, Perusino (2002) (Brauron). Ephesos has perhaps attracted most
scholars who have produced a regional study ofArtemis, see, for example: Falkener (1862); Wood
(1877); Picard (1922); Loewy (1932); Strelan (1946) ; Picon (1983); Schaber (1982); Bammer (1984,
1996); Riigler(1988) and Muss (2001). The trend ofone particular site dominating regional studies of
Greek deities is illustrated by a further review of the studies on Artemis' twin, Apollo; see, for
example, Herda (2006) (Didyma and Miletos); Fontenrose (1988) (Didyma); Pettersson (1992)
(Sparta); Chankowski (2008) (Athens and Delos) and cf., for example: Gaston (1905); Dempsey
(1918); Defradas(1972); Roux (1976) and Rousset (2002) onDelphi.
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to present Artemis as either an isolated deity ora goddess who retained the same character as
the Artemis we know from elsewhere in the Greek world.
I have adopted an inter-disciplinary approach to this thesis in order to illuminate a holistic
view of the goddess. Each of the first five chapters considers the representation of the
goddess in the literature, archaeology, iconography (two chapters) and numismatics of
Southern Italy and Sicily. These individual discussions are based upon the evidence
compiled in the appended catalogues. The definitions and scope applied to each type of
evidence are discussed at the beginning ofthe appropriate chapter with a consideration ofthe
difficulties inherent in the treatment ofthat material. A sixth and final chapter will establish
the key themes which emerge from this inter-disciplinary study, contextualise them within
the historical realities ofSouthern Italy and Sicily and review them against the conventional
view ofthe goddess in modern scholarship.
The chronological and geographical framework ofthis thesis requires an explanation. First, I
should confirm that I have understood the archaic and classical periods as the years covering
600 to 323. However, these periods are a modern construct and I have not limited myselfto
these exact years to the detriment ofthe argument and include references to slightly earlier or
later evidence where appropriate as it can clarify or further support a particular aspect of
Artemis' cult I have identified in the archaic and/or classical period(s). The only category
with a significant volume ofevidence dating outwith my time-frame is the coins; chapter 5.3
reviews this later evidence but is careful to avoid artificially projecting hellenistic evidence
onto an archaic or classical reality. A few other items which post-date the classical period
have been included and a smaller number of pre-archaic items; these are included to
strengthen my argument and avoid an incomplete conclusion driven by only adhering to the
modem definition ofarchaic and classical. The hellenistic period is witness to the growing
power and influence of Rome within our regions as well as the Punic Wars (Shipley 2000,
370-1). Indeed, the later coinage included in this thesis may well result from an increasing
number of mercenaries in Sicily as a result of these conflicts. The significant social and
political changes in the hellenistic period inevitably impacted upon the cult ofArtemis. The
focus ofthis thesis, upon the three centuries before the advent ofthese changes, is intended
to allow a study of the goddess in the context of the Greek colonies before the Romans
seriously threatened Southern Italy and Sicily.
2
This thesis reviews the evidence for Artemis cult from both Sicily and Southern Italy. The
definition of Southern Italy, both in terms of nomenclature and geography, requires some
initial comment. In antiquity two terms were used to describe Southern Italy and sometimes
Sicily: Italia and Megale Hellas; both terms are problematic (Fischer-Hansen, Nielsen and
Ampolo 2004b, 249-51). The confusion has not been resolved in modern scholarship.
Dunbabin (1948, xiv) avoids 'Italia' and 'Magna Graecia', referring instead to Sicily and
South Italy, and the inhabitants of these areas, as the 'Western Greek'. I also prefer to
exclude the term Magna Graecia and have referred throughout this thesis to Southern Italy
and Sicily. However, ifwe discard the label ofMagna Graecia it should be remembered that
these lands were considered part of Greece in antiquity. Within Southern Italy I have
reviewed the evidence by region: Bruttium (Reggio-Calabria), Apulia (Puglia), Lucania
(Basilicata) and Campania.3
The last ofthese regions, Campania, is a controversial inclusion. The region itselfdefies a
straightforward ancient definition (Fischer-Hansen, Nielsen and Ampolo 2004b, 251) but
includes the first Greek emporion at Pithekoussai on modem Ischia (Boardman 1980, 165-7;
Ridgway 1992, 31-42). Pithekoussai was the fore-runner of further Greek settlements
around the bay ofNaples demonstrating that the Greeks clearly had a significant presence in
Campania (Frederiksen 1984, 85-116). However, as the Etruscans also controlled part of
this region (Frederiksen 1984, 117-33) it is generally considered a cultural melting-pot which
leads some scholars to exclude it from discussions of the Greeks in Southern Italy.
However, I have included it here as it sits geographically within the southern half of Italy
and was one of the regions in which the Greeks chose to settle; the evidence for Artemis
from this region increases our understanding ofthe goddess' cult.
Now that I have explained the chronological and geographical remit of this thesis, I shall
turn to the phenomenon ofcolonisation. The first problem is the definition ofthis term when
used by modem scholars ofan ancient activity. Colonisation now conjures up images ofthe
imperialistic claiming of vast areas of undeveloped land occupied by a 'primitive' and
'heathen' population (Hurst and Owen 2005; Owen 2005, 9-18; Tsetskhladze 2006, xxiii-
xxviii). For our purposes here, colonisation is the arrival ofthe Greeks in Southern Italy and
Sicily, the founding of a colony and the establishment of institutions familiar to them. It
should not be understood as a mission with the purpose ofdestroying the existing society and
culture and forcibly replacing it with theirown.
3 These regional names are alsoproblematic, see Isayev (2007).
3
There is a great variety of scholarship on the ancient Greek colonisation of Southern Italy
and Sicily, ranging from historiographies (Dunbabin 1947; Berard 1957; Boardman 1980) to
archaeological studies. This earlier archaeological scholarship is interested in presenting
evidence other than that recorded in ancient writers (Coldstream 1977, 221-45; Ridgway
1992) while more recent authors are concerned with the social realities ofthis phenomenon
(Tsetskhladze, De Angelis 1994; Shepherd 1995, 1999, 2000; Carter 2006).4 The interest in
the social realities of life in these new settlements continues with studies on the Greeks'
relationships with the indigenous population (Descoeudres 1990; Albanese Procelli 1996;
Leighton 2000) and ethnicity: examining the ways in which the Greeks used myths and
stories of heroes to mediate encounters and in the creation or assertion of a Greek identity
(Malkin 1998, 2001; Antonaccio 2005). While the political landscape ofthe new colonies is
dominated by studies on the role oftyranny, especially in Sicily (Andrewes 1956; McGlew
1993; Luraghi 1994; Lewis 2006), a desire to understand these societies better has also been
proposed through specific regional studies (Vallet 1958; Frederiksen 1984; Greco 2002;
Carter 2006).
The act of foundation, the associated myth and the role of the oikist are often presented as
the 'vital statistics' of a colony in the historiographies mentioned above. However, the
formulaic nature of these myths and their historical value should be carefully considered.
The foundation myth is the product of not only social, political, religious and literary
manipulation, but also ongoing cultural negotiations (Dougherty 1993, 3-11). Indeed the
record ofthe foundation, its associated myth and the identity (and ethnicity) ofthe oikist are
more valuable to the generation who documented it than the founding population (Graham
1964, 25-68; Dougherty 1993; Dougherty and Kurke 1993; Giangulio 2001; Hall 2008). For
a good example of the confusion generated by the ancient sources over the foundation of
Greekpoleis review the Southern Italian Achaian colonies: compare, for example, Morgan
and Hall (1996) with Kowalzig (2007) and see chapter 1.1.2.
There are three major flaws in the earlier scholarship on ancient Greek colonisation; these
have been ably summarised by Sara Owen (2005, 6-9). First, colonisation has traditionally
been understood as a historical phenomenon: scholars have subsequently over-valued literary
sources in their studies. Secondly, there are problems encountered in studies ofethnicity, for
4 The scholarship referred to here is not comprehensive but includes the major works in each field
cited. Fora discussion ofthe problematisation of'colonisation' as atenn see below and Owen (2005)
and Giangulio (2001).
4